Electric connector



Mar. 27, 1923.

1. LOFGRENH AL.

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FILED JUNE 2B |919.

Zoo

273061Z@ T5: 7//2/ L Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATE.

rtTiiNT OFFICE.

JOHN LOFGREN AND AUGUSTINE R. AYERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS T0 RALCO MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR.

Application led lune 28, 1919.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, JOHN LoFGRiiN and AUoUs'riNn R. AYERS, citizens of the United States, respectively residing at Chicago, in the county ot Cook and State of Illinois, and at Cleveland Heights, in t-he county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Electric Connectors, of which the following is a specification. Q

The invention relates to improvements in electric connectors of the type including a suitable fixed receptacle and a separable, circuit-controlling plug.

It is common practice, in locomotive electrical work of this character, to employ various fittings properly assembled together and supported in place for conveying the wires, and for running necessary branch circuits for connection to the various lamps, and it is one of the purposes of this invention to combine several of these fittings into one compact device, at the same time providing much greater accessibility for the purpose of making connections and for making repairs.

The invention also provides a construction which employs more rugged parts, a small aggregate number of parts, and less liability of repairs than other construction commonly used.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a structure of this type especially adaptable for use on locomotives, for connecting and disconnecting classification lamps; side lamps; head lights and other translating devices, to an energized circuit.

Another object is to perfectly enshroud the electric conducting parts of the connector so as t-o protect them from corrosion and other destructive effects superinduced by the weather, to which they are subjected, incident to their use.

Cther features of the structure are the ample carrying capacity and the rigid association of the separable parts s-o that excessive vibration will-not have any deleteri-l ous effects upon the conducting parts by inducing excessive heat, brought about by increased resistance, that results from imperfeot or intermittent contact, or by mechanical crystallization.

Still another object of the invention is to providel integrally with the receptacle casing, means for attaching the device, to a Serial No. 307,284.

vas it appears in use connected to suitable conduits.

F ig. 2 is a central vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

F ig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line twat of Fig. 2, when the plug is removed, with the plug removed. I Fig. is a section taken on line 5-5 of Tig. 2.

In all the views the same reference characters are employed to indicate similar parts.

rihe housing 10 and the plug receptacle 18 consists of an integral, intermediate, rectangular portion 11, having a semi-cylindrical, forwardly projecting portion 12, which is continued into a lower cylindrical portion 13, which latter affords the receptacle proper, for the plug 15. The part 11 is extended axially at each end into screw threaded bosses 16 and 17, to receive conduit sections 18 and 19, thru which wires 20 and 21 pass into and out of the chamber 23. Check nuts 24 and 25 may be used to more firmly hold the parts in their respective positions, if desired. They are, however, not essential parts of the structure.

The housing or shroud isI thickened, as at 26, to provide a rear vertically extending seating surface for the structure against a plane surface support, such as the plane surface provided by a locomotive, and extended on either side thereof into the attaching ears 27 and 28, which are perforated, as at 29, for suitable bolts, screws or rivets. This part 26 also serves as a means for placing the part 11 sufficiently forward to permit the placing of a cover 30 over the top of the parts 11 and 12.

In the intermediate portion, or part 12,

is a vertically sliding porcelain block 31, slotted at its lower end, as at 32, and thru which slot passes an elongated rivet or rod The slot and the rivet permit the upward vertical movement of the block 31 but limit its downward movement, and further the lower end of the block in enlarged contacts 37 and 38, respectively. rlhese conductors pass thru perforations that are enlarged at their top ends, as at 39 and 40, respectively, being laterally cut away, as at 41 and 42, for admission of the conducting wires 20 and 21. rThe upper ends of the conductors 35 and 36 provide screw threaded perforations for the conductor clamping screws 43 and 44, respectively.

lt will be observed that the wires 2O and 21 connected to the binding screws 43 and 44, are so positioned, with reference thereto, that any vertical movement of the plug 31 serves practically to rotate the wires 2() and 21 without distorting or bending them so that there is no danger of crystalliza tion, due to the frequent use of inserting and removing the plug 15 in the receptacle 13.

The plug receptacle proper, 13, is provided, in association with the plug, with a double bayonet joint, preferably, on diametrically opposite sides, each consisting of a vertical slot 45 and a transverse slot 46 with depressions 48 and 49 in the respective ends of the transverse slots. The plug 15 is provided with a radially extending stud 50 on opposite sides, that is adapted to en ter the vertical slot and to be moved thru the transverse slot into the said depression, where it is held by the resilient action of the spring 34.

The plug 15 is not materially different from plugs of this general type, having a metal shroud 51 surrounding a fixed porcelain block 52, which is provided with contact members 53 and 54, adapted to make electrical connection with the contact members 37 and 38 of the receptacle when the two studs 50 are in either of the pair of depressions 48-48 or 49-49 and adapted to be moved into dotted line position, shown in Fig. 4, when the studs are in the opposite depressions, 48-48 or 4949, as the case may be, and by this means, the wires 55 and 56 of the plug may be connected with the wires 20 and 21 of the housing or disconnected therefrom by first vertically movfrom which they were moved, thus opening the circuit without the necessity for removing the plug from its receptacle. The plug terminals 53 and 54 are flush with the upper surface of the insulating block 52, so that the contact members 38 and 37 of the housing, when not in electrical connection with the terminals 53 and 54, are resting upo the top surface of the block 52.

The lower ends of the terminals 57 and 58 are provided with threaded perforations for the wire binding screws 59, for securing` the plug' wires and 56 to the terminals 53 and 54 of the plug.

i stud bolt 60 is screwed into the mi-:l portion of the housing and extends vertically above the cover plate 30. lt passes thru the cover and on its Lipper threaded end is a nut 61 that holds the cover firmly in its place on the receptacle 10. A spring washer 62 will prevent the nut from turning or becoming displaced by vibration to which the device is subjected. The stud bolt 60 is located in `such a position as to prevent the spring 34 from moving inwardly andv becoming laterally displaced. The cover 30 is provided with a peripheral rim 30 that descends below the upper edge of the housing member 10 and makes a perfect water seal and yet when the cover is removed, by taking off the nut 61, the contents of the device may be remo-ved and the connecting portions are thus made readily available.

The circular dotted lines 53-54 Shown in Fig. 4 indicate the position the plug terminals would occupy when the switch is opened and the plug within the socket.

vWhile we have herein shown a single embodiment of our invention, for the purpose of clear disclosure, it will be manifest to persons skilled in the art, that various changes may be made in the configuration and general disposition of the parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, what we claim is 1. A vdevice of the character described having in combinative association a housing with conduit openings providing a substantially cylindrical plug-receptacle forming a part thereof and located in a vertical plane between said openings; a removable cover, overlying the housing and receptacle and a rear extension of the housing having a seating surface adapted to extend the housing forwardly sufficiently to permit free movement of the cover and providing attaching extending thru the housing to hold the cover in place.

3. A device of the character described having in combinative association a substantially cylindrical plug-receptacle; a substantially rectangular housing located in the rear of the receptacle and providing` a wire receiving chamber in communication with said receptacle; a removable cover overlying the said housing; a vertically movable contact block in said receptacle; means to prevent rotation ot the block; a spring to yieldingly hold the block in normal vertical position, located between the bloclr and cover, whereby displacement of the cover will permit removal of the contents oi the structure.

ll. A device of the character described having in combinative association a plugreceptacle; a contact-carrying block therein; with a vertically extending slot in its lower end; a transversely extending pin passing thru the slot and supported by the receptacle to prevent rotation of the blocl; and to limit its downward movement; a wirereceiving housing having a chamber communicating with the receptacle; a removable cover overlying the said chamber and an open compressionspring bearing upon the top end of the bloclr and on the lower end of the cover, said receptacle having a bayonet joint member in its lower end.

5.1K device of the character described having in combinative association a casing having a' laterally enlarged chamber and a communicating relatively smaller chamber; the larger chamber having a pair ot horizontally aligning conduit openings; an insulating block slidably movable in the smaller chamber; a pair' of conductors passing thru the block terminating in the smaller chamber and provided with wire connecting means in the laterally enlarged chamber; a spring in the larger chamber substantially out of alignment with the conduit openings bearing upon the upper end oi said block to yieldingly hold it in normal position and means to prevent rotation of the bloclr.

6. A device or the character described having in combinative association a casing having a laterally enlarged chamber and a communicating relatively smaller chamber; the larger chamber having a pair of hori- Zontally aligning conduit openings; an insulating block slidably movable in the smaller chamber; a pair ot spaced apart conductors passing thru the block, terminating in the smallerI chamber as contacts and in the laterally larger chamber as wire clamping members; said block having a groove in its contact carrying end, between said conductors; a pin passing thru vthe groove to prevent the block from being turned and a spring substantially out olf alignment with said conduit openings and bearing on the upper end of the block and `yieldingly holding the block in Contact with the pin.

'7. ln a device of the character described an insulating block having in combinative association two, end to end spaced apart pertorations, to contain conductors; and having lateral openings at one end communicating with the tirst mentioned openings7 respectively, terminals in said openings and a slot in the block extending trom the terminal end toward the wire clamping end and a pin in the slot to prevent its rotation.

8. device of the character described having in combinative association a casing providing a laterally enlarged chamber with horizontally aligning conduit openings therein and a relatively smaller communieating chamber; an insulating block having slidable movement in the smaller chamber; a stop in the smaller chamber to limit the movement of the block and to prevent its rotation; a spring out of alignment with said openings bearing on the bloclr yieldingly holding it against the stop; wire clamping members carried by the block, below the spring; accessible thru lateral openings in the block and an imperforate removable cover closing the casing7 overlying the larger chamber whereby the contents of both chambers may be removed by removing the cover.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands.

JOHN LOFGREN. AUGUSTINE R. AYERS. 

